Spyne is a
fictional character
In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...
, a
mutant
In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It ...
appearing in
American comic book
An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...
s published by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
. The character, unlike many mutants, is more monstrously deformed and reptilian as opposed to other mutants' somewhat-human appearances (Nightcrawler, Tusk, et al.). His first appearance was in ''
Cable
Cable may refer to:
Mechanical
* Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof
* Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...
'' #17.
Fictional character biography
Spyne was one of the mutant members of the
Dark Riders. A cannibalistic carnivore, Spyne views his adversaries as a meal more than anything else.
Spyne was first seen with the Dark Riders as they hunted down the team's former member Foxbat in Alexandria,
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
. Later, Spyne was amongst those Dark Riders that hunted
Caliban
Caliban ( ), son of the witch Sycorax, is an important character in William Shakespeare's play '' The Tempest''.
His character is one of the few Shakespearean figures to take on a life of its own "outside" Shakespeare's own work: as Russell ...
in the Morlock tunnels and clashed with
Cable
Cable may refer to:
Mechanical
* Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof
* Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...
,
Storm
A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere
An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmos ...
, and
Domino
Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces, commonly known as dominoes. Each domino is a rectangular tile, usually with a line dividing its face into two square ''ends''. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also ca ...
. Spyne was able to disarm Cable, but Cable defeated him with his telekinetic powers.
After clashing with Cable and his allies once more in Egypt, where their leader was revealed to be Cable's son Tyler, calling himself
Genesis
Genesis may refer to:
Bible
* Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind
* Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
, Spyne and the Dark Riders captured Faye Livingstone, a woman who once had a romantic history with
Mister Sinister
Mister Sinister (Nathaniel Essex) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Chris Claremont, the character was first mentioned as the employer behind the team of assassins known as the Maraud ...
. The Dark Riders then captured
Jean Grey
Jean Elaine Grey is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has been known under the aliases Marvel Girl, Phoenix and Dark Phoenix. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack K ...
for Genesis.
After the events with Mister Sinister, Spyne took part in breaking
Cyber
Cyber may refer to:
Computing and the Internet
* ''Cyber-'', from cybernetics, a transdisciplinary approach for exploring regulatory and purposive systems
Crime and security
* Cyber crime, crime that involves computers and networks
** Conventi ...
out of a Scottish dungeon and took them to their rebuilt fortress in Egypt where the villain was stripped of his
adamantium
Adamantium is a fictional metal alloy appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and in various games in the Elder Scrolls franchise. It is best known as the substance bonded to the character Wolverine's skeleton and claws. In ...
in a process that killed him. When the feral X-Man
Wolverine
The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for "gluttony, glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is ...
infiltrated their fortress, the Dark Riders captured him and attempted to use Cyber's former adamantium skin to bond to Wolverine's bones, recently removed of its original adamantium by
Magneto
A magneto is an electrical generator that uses permanent magnets to produce periodic pulses of alternating current. Unlike a dynamo, a magneto does not contain a commutator to produce direct current. It is categorized as a form of alternator, ...
. When fellow X-Man
Cannonball
A round shot (also called solid shot or simply ball) is a solid spherical projectile without explosive charge, launched from a gun. Its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the barrel from which it is shot. A round shot fired from a lar ...
interfered with Genesis's plans for Wolverine, Spyne and the others started to beat up on Cannonball. This allowed Wolverine to break free from the bonding process, and both he and Cannonball fled to
Apocalypse
Apocalypse () is a literary genre in which a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a human intermediary. The means of mediation include dreams, visions and heavenly journeys, and they typically feature symbolic imager ...
's resurrection chamber, where the Dark Riders pursued them. In the ensuing battle, Spyne was killed by Wolverine just as he was prepared to attack Cannonball. Wolverine then used Spyne's severed tail to ensnare and kill his fellow Dark Rider
Deadbolt
A dead bolt, deadbolt or dead lock is a locking mechanism distinct from a spring bolt lock because a deadbolt can only be opened by a key or handle. The more common spring bolt lock uses a spring to hold the bolt in place, allowing retraction b ...
.
Spyne, along with several of his fellow Dark Riders, is resurrected by means of the
Transmode Virus
A techno-organic virus (T-O virus) is a fictional virus appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. In the comics, the T-O virus transforms organic material into techno-organic material, which resembles both machinery and living t ...
to serve as part of
Selene
In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Selene (; grc-gre, Σελήνη , meaning "Moon"''A Greek–English Lexicon's.v. σελήνη) is the goddess and the personification of the Moon. Also known as Mene, she is traditionally the daughter o ...
's army of deceased mutants. Under the control of Selene and
Eli Bard
Nakia Bahadir
Nakia Bahadir is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is a Turkish girl and friend of Kamala Khan.
Nakia Bahadir in other media
Nakia Bahadir appears in ''Ms. Marvel'', portrayed ...
, he takes part in the assault on the mutant nation of
Utopia
A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', describing a fictional ...
.
[''X-Force'' (vol. 3) #21. January 2010]
Later Spyne is part of the new Dark Riders that attempts to kill off all the mutant healers. He and the rest of the team are killed by Magneto's Uncanny X-Men and blow up with the remains of
Genosha
Genosha ( or ) is a fictional country appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is an island nation that exists in Marvel's main shared universe, known as "Earth 616" in the Marvel Universe and a prominent place in the X-Me ...
.
[''The Uncanny X-Men'' (vol. 4) #5]
Other versions
Age of Apocalypse
Spyne is a member of the
Brotherhood of Chaos.
References
{{Reflist
Fictional cannibals
Fictional reptilians
Marvel Comics supervillains
Marvel Comics mutants
Marvel Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds
Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength